Volunteers

Corte Madera Volunteer Firefighters Association
The Corte Madera Volunteer Firefighters Association is comprised of town residents and citizens who work in the town who enjoy serving their community and participating in many of the same activities, duties and responsibilities as the paid staff. Volunteers come from various backgrounds and are of a wide range of ages and occupations. From professionals to business owners to students, all Volunteers share a common interest in giving back to their community while being an important component of the fire department. Some Volunteers move on to become professional firefighters.

Types of Volunteers
The association has 2 types of volunteers; Operational Volunteers who are trained to a minimum of Firefighter 1 & Emergency Medical Technician, and Associate Volunteers who support the department and volunteer association through fundraising and public education efforts. Operational Volunteers, also referred to as Reserve Firefighters, are expected to maintain all required certifications and frequently work shifts alongside the paid staff as the fourth person on the fire engine. Associate Volunteers are the backbone of most association activities and provide countless hours of support to the association, Fire Department, and town.

The concept of volunteer firefighters in Corte Madera is nothing new as the original staff was an all-volunteer department. In 1917, volunteers elected their first Fire Chief. Operational Volunteers are well trained in direct hands-on fire suppression and life-saving techniques, and go on calls with the regular staff as well as provide supplemental support to the station when necessary.

Fundraising
Another equally-important role for the volunteers is to help raise funds for the fire department. Two major fundraising events are the 4th of July Hamburger stand and the annual Chipper Day, the latter of which is held in conjunction with the Town of Corte Madera.

In these times of tight local budgets and state funding of life-safety activities at an all-time low, our fundraising events play the very important role of providing the fire department with the necessary funds to buy equipment as well as help support and maintain programs and events that provide service to the community. These funds, along with private donations, have helped purchase such items as a thermal imaging camera, the weather station located at Station 14, chainsaws, masks for self-contained breathing apparatus, rescue rope and related hardware, and many other important items not covered by the department budget.

The Corte Madera Volunteer Firefighters Association would like to thank you for your support and your participation this year at one or both of our major events.

More Information
For more information about our volunteer program please call 415-927-5077